It is often necessary to add functionality to computing devices, either in software by downloading the required software application of data, or in hardware. The addition of hardware can mean adding an internal computer interface bus-enabled device, or an external device via a universal serial bus (USB)™/Firewire™ socket. This is a relatively simple exercise in a desk-top computer where, the environment is benign. However, industrial and portable computing devices often must operate in harsh environments. This creates a requirement for greater mechanical ruggedness, whilst maintaining substantially the same functionality.
Such computing devices may, in extreme cases, have to dispense with external interface sockets, e.g. serial interfaces/ports such as Ethernet or USB, which significantly reduces their usability.
In other cases, it may be impractical or impossible to utilise the serial interface whilst the computing device is in operation, due to legal restrictions involving safety functions. Such is the case, for example, with vehicle cab display computers in public service vehicles. This is due to the possibility that the serial interface device may interfere mechanically with other safety functions, such as the air bag. In such cases, the extra functionality provided by the serial interface, such as the option for reading a driver identification device via the serial port, are simply unusable.
Thus, a need exists for a mechanically robust mechanism that allows the use of the serial port sockets of mobile, industrial and/or vehicle-cab computing devices whilst alleviating the problems associated with existing solutions.